AAP News
[Source: Reuters]
An Israeli strike on a residential building in the Sayeda Zainab district south of the Syrian capital Damascus has killed seven civilians, the Syrian defence ministry says, in the second such attack in less than a week.
The fatalities included women and children, with 20 people also injured, the ministry said in a statement.
There was no immediate comment from Israel, which said last week that its air force had struck intelligence assets of the Iranian-backed Lebanese armed group Hezbollah in the same area.
Sayeda Zainab, a stronghold of Hezbollah and the site of a major Shi’ite shrine, has been the target in previous strikes.
The heavily garrisoned area near the shrine is also a well known stronghold of Hezbollah, which is one of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s chief allies.
Israel has ramped up strikes in Syria since the October 7 attack by militant group Hamas on Israel in 2023 and particularly since the escalation of the Israel-Hezbollah conflict.
Syrian and foreign intelligence sources say Israeli attacks in Syria have killed scores of Hezbollah and pro-Iranian militia fighters based around the eastern outskirts of Damascus and to the south of the city.
